Does Love Make it Right?
Bible Reading: Romans 13:8-10
Love does no wrong to anyone, so love satisfies all of God’s requirements. Romans 13:10
HERE’S A TOUGH question for you: Does love make “it” right?
You know what “it” is. When you’re in a relationship, do you think that loving someone makes sexual involvement right?
This answer may shock you, but love does make it right.
You can’t understand that answer, though, unless you know exactly what love is. Many couples get sexually involved and then say, “We love each other so much we got swept away.” The truth is that they got involved because they love each other too little.
According to Romans 13:9-10, love is when the happiness, security, spiritual growth, and physical health of another person is as important to you as your own. Ephesians 5:29 explains how you are to love yourself and others: “For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church” (NKN, emphasis added). To nourish your own body means to bring it to maturity big-time happiness, security, spiritual development, and physical health. To cherish your body literally means to protect it from anything negative and destructive.
If you truly love yourself the way God intended, you will nurture yourself to grow up in your body, your spirit, your brain, and your relationships. You will guard yourself from anything that gets in the way of those goals. And that love you learn to show yourself is the basis for loving someone else. If a guy or girl you date cares about your spiritual growth, your maturing, and your being nurtured, your date will be careful about where you go, what you do, and what you chat about. This person will want to be sure nothing thwarts your happiness, security, spiritual growth, and physical health. Could you trust someone like that? You bet.
If, on the other hand, a person tries to push your standards sexually, he or she doesn’t really love you. Forget what that person says. He doesn’t love you too much, he loves you too little. And if you love yourself too little you will let others push your standards outside of God’s boundaries.
Love makes it right. Absolutely. Love sees the sexual boundaries God gave and honors them. Therefore, love makes it right to wait until your wedding night. Love makes it right to wait until commitment confirms and faithfulness seals the love in a relationship.
REFLECT: Is it your goal to nourish and cherish your boyfriend or girlfriend God’s way? What are you really looking for in your guy-girl friendships?
PRAY: Pray today for God’s purity in your relationships.